mitt romney and i are going to respect the second amendment because it's our individual right to keep and bare arms. >> paul ryan spends the day today attending fundraisers in connecticut. although the u.s. supreme court isn't set to look at any gun rights challenges, it is going to hear several high-profile and controversial cases. tomorrow morning the justices are kicking off the new term. it always happens the first monday in october. here's joe johns with more. >> reporter: right after the supreme court's health care decision in june chief justice john roberts joked to colleagues that he would find an island fortress to escape the political heat. here's how justice bader ginsburg describes it. >> some have called it the term of the century. >> reporter: there are no signs of it cooling down. >> the justices are moving from the frying pan right into the fire. they are tackling some of the most difficult legal questions of the day across the board probably the biggest term in at least a decade. >> reporter: cases involving the contentious issues of affirmative action, same-sex marri